


a case study in not leaving link alone with ladders

by ficfucker



Series: rhink drabbles, ficlets, & fluff [3]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 02:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19220098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficfucker/pseuds/ficfucker
Summary: link gets hurt & rhett is his emergency contact





	a case study in not leaving link alone with ladders

**Author's Note:**

> for anon who said: 
> 
> "Link has hurt himself and Rhett is afraid. He tells Link everything he's been holding in. For fear that he's waited too late." 
> 
> hope i did alright!

Rhett has just gotten into his car and set the pizza on the passenger seat when his phone starts to buzz and ring noisily on the center console. “Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Rhett groans. He checks the number, doesn’t recognize it, but he answers anyway. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Hi, is this Rhett McLaughlin?” The voice on the other line is crisp and feminine. Young, Rhett assumes. It chimes like a little bell through his speaker. 

 

“Yes, speaking.” Rhett clicks his seatbelt in and starts the engine. He figures this is some bullshit call, asking if he’s interested in credit cards or job opportunities. He’s interested in neither and Link is waiting on him. Rhett had called in a pizza and wants to get it to Link’s house while it’s still hot. 

 

They’d been doing yard work and renovations all afternoon at Link’s place. Rhett could eat a horse and he’s sure Link is in the same boat. 

 

“Hi, Mr. McLaughlin. I regret to inform you that your friend, Charles Neal, has been injured and is in our care,” the little voice says. “You were listed as first priority on his contact forms with us.”

 

Rhett’s stomach nearly drops out. His left hand twists tight on the steering wheel. “Injured?” he echoes.

 

“Yes, sir. From what he could tell us, he fell from a ladder.”

 

“H-How bad is it? Is - Link’s  _ okay _ , right?” 

 

Rhett can almost feel the wince through the receiver. “I’m afraid we can’t really... say yet. He’s not in emergency care, Mr. McLaughlin, but he did fall from a rather high height.” 

 

Rhett feels cold and sick all over. His fingers tremble. “Which uh, - what hospital is he staying at?” Rhett starts backing out of the lot. His movements are jerky and he tries to focus on his breathing. “I’ll be on my way,” he adds. 

 

The woman gives him the name and address and Rhett is relieved it’s not too far. He’d gone there himself when he’d needed extensive x-rays for his back problems. He pulls onto the main road and listens to her instructions for signing in, showing I.D. He says a curt goodbye when she’s finished.

 

Rhett breathes through his mouth. He feels shaky all over, like his stomach has been hollowed and filled with jell-o. His whole car smells sickenly of hot pizza. He dials Link’s number. 

 

It rings several times. Rhett mutters “please” and “God, Link” under his breath until it goes to voicemail. 

 

“ _ Hey, you’ve reached Link Neal! I’m probably busy embarrassin’ myself with Rhett so leave a message an’ I’ll get back to ya as quick I can _ !”

 

There are tears in Rhett’s eyes and he blinks them away furiously as he sits at a red light behind a long line of traffic. “Link, I-,” he starts but his voice cracks. He tries again, “I’m on my way, okay? I’ll be there soon as I can. I-I just want to say… I love you, man. Like real love. Always have, bo. For just about forever now. And  _ fuck _ , I know now ain’t the time for this nonsense, but imagin’ you  _ hurt, _ it- you ain’t hurt. You’re gonna be fine, Link. You know how I am. I’ll be there any- any minute now an’ we can talk then. I… I love you, Link.” 

 

Rhett’s fingers quiver as he sets his phone down. Traffic is moving again and he rolls forward. He doesn’t ever bother with the radio. He’s scared he’ll miss a text or call if he distracts himself. 

 

The ride is unbearable. Rhett doesn’t get a single notification on his phone the entire way. He pulls into the lot of the hospital and practically sprints to the front doors. 

 

He talks to a receptionist. He shows her his driver’s license and scribbles his name on a blue sign in sheet on the desk and she gives him Link’s room number and points him in the direction. 

 

Rhett walks fast. He keeps his head down. His heart is rattling in his ears. 

 

Rhett peeks into the open doorway. A wave of tremendous relief hits Rhett when he sees Link sitting up in bed animatedly talking to a nurse. His arm is in a sling and there’s a few scrapes on the side of his face, but it looks like he’s going to live. 

 

“Rhett!” Link exclaims when he spots him. 

 

Rhett goes in and, without much thought, gives Link a big hug, buries his face in Link’s shoulder that isn’t on the side of his sling. “Hey, brotha,” he says, his voice mumbled. “Gave me a scare there.”

 

Link rubs Rhett’s back with his hand. “Gave mahself a scare, too! Broken collarbone. Can you believe it? Clavicle, they call it. An’ check this out.” 

 

Rhett pulls back and Link raises his left foot to show a snake of stitches. Rhett wrinkles his nose and his stomach feels twisted again at the sight. “Stepped on the dang angle square of all things. Sharp as the devil.” 

 

Rhett feels speechless. He’d really imagined Link in a full body cast, in a coma, with a power drill going through his femur. “Jeez, man, really did a number on yourself, huh?” is what comes out. 

 

Link chuckles like he’s embarrassed. “Sure did. Sorry I scared you so bad. You’d left the staple gun up on the roof an’ I went to get it mahself, but well, guess I should’ve waited for you to come back to hold the ladder.” 

 

Link’s hand slips into his own and Rhett gives it a squeeze. “Long as you’re okay, bo.” 

 

Link nods. “I’m alright. They think I’m concussed. Wanna look at my head a little longer, but I’m alright, Rhett.” 

 

Rhett knows Link will listen to his voicemail sooner or later. Link will hear Rhett confessing his love and almost sobbing while driving to the hospital. Everything will be out on the table between them. Rhett is okay with that. It can wait. 

 

For now, Rhett sits by Link’s bed and holds his hand and listens to whatever nurses have to say when they come in.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos + comments appreciated! 
> 
> talk to me on tmblr @ficfucker!


End file.
